Disruption
by m.brown
Summary: A look at what Clark should have done when Lana interrupted his dance with Lois during "Bride". A one-shot for now, but who knows I may continue.
1. Disruption

"**Bride" really kind of pissed me off with the Lois/Clark build up and Lana's reemergence, so I wrote this as a different version! One-shot for now, but who knows.**

* * *

Clark stood comfortably on the edge of the dance floor and watched as Jimmy twirled the beautiful woman he had just been dancing with in a circle. He couldn't help but smile as he watched Chloe beam at her new husband. There was a light in her eyes that he hadn't seen since they were in high school and thinking back to their conversation a few moments ago, he knew that everything in her life was finally perfect. That weight that had been on her shoulders for so long was finally gone and all he could do was be happy for her. Though he was no longer her best friend or the only man in her life, he was perfectly happy with the one replacing him.

Turning to his right, he found that the gentle peace he was currently experiencing, disrupted. It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his heart and shocked his entire body into an immobile state. Lois Lane was an absolute vision of beauty. Her auburn hair was swept up on top of her head and cascaded down over the exposed skin on her back. The orange bridesmaid's dress clung to her body in all of the right places and he would be a liar if he said his eyes didn't linger on the deep valley of her cleavage.

The simple fact was that he no longer felt just amicably towards her anymore. He wasn't sure he ever really had. Even when they bickered, he had always noticed how beautiful she was inside and out. Lois was a force of a nature, a wildfire that refused to be tamed. But she was also just a woman who cared an immense amount for the people she loved. Her willingness to do absolutely anything for her friends and family, despite how dangerous it might be, was just one of the many things that drew him to her. Her ability to make him question himself entirely and the way she challenged him only made him want her more.

Lois turned to him and their eyes locked for a brief moment. He smiled softly at her, but her eyes flickered with a range of emotions. Nervousness, confusion… fear? Her heartbeat was faster than normal and he noticed the way that she drummed her fingers on the side of her thigh repeatedly. Something was making her nervous and he wondered if, or rather hoped, he was the reason why.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the disco ball began to spin. The reflection of the light off the glittery sphere filled the room and scattered little squares of light around. He was entranced as he watched the lights dance across her cheeks and he realized in that exact moment that he wanted her. He wanted her more than he had wanted anything in his entire life.

"Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest," Lois said as the music began. She gave him a brief smile before walking away from him, but he grabbed her hand and tugged lightly before she could get away. She turned at his touch and stared at him, her eyes silently questioning him, but all he could do was smile and tilt his head towards the dance floor. Words were not his strong suit when it came to Lois and he breathed a sigh of relief when she followed him without question.

He placed one hand gently on the curve of her waist and held her other hand in his. Gently beginning to sway, Clark began turning in a slow circle with Lois following him. He pressed closer to her so that his lips were mere inches from her right ear. As he held her close, he caught a whiff of her hair. Inhaling deeply, he found his head was beginning to spin. The intoxicating mix of her shampoo and—was that maple? —radiated off of her, overwhelming his senses in the best of ways. Suddenly, Clark wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to stay on his own two feet. Just the closeness between the two of them was affecting him in a way that no Earthly substance ever had before.

However, she was suddenly ripped from his arms as a guest shoved past her. He heard Lois release a small huff before her eyes turned towards his again. This time, she looked at him in an entirely different way. As he found himself moving closer to her, hazel eyes questioned him. She wondered what he was doing, why he was moving so close to her. Trying his best to make her understand, he looked at her with a completely open heart. Lois knew him better than anyone else. She could see his soul reflected in his eyes and he only hoped that the look he was giving her was enough to convince her of his feelings towards her.

Tentatively, Lois placed her hand on his chest. Her thumb stroked his grey silk tie gently before her eyes flickered back to his. Taking a deep breath, Clark stepped towards her again. Her hand, though it was only touching his jacket, was burning a hole through his chest. He wanted to be closer to her. He _needed _to be. And so, when he saw the nervousness leave her eyes and instead, light up with hope, he dipped his mouth towards hers.

"No way! I can't believe it!"

The moment was shattered. They both immediately whipped their heads around to see what Chloe was yelling about. Standing in the shadows of the barn door, stood a dark figure. Clark squinted to see who it was, but his eyes couldn't fixate on the defined features of the person.

"Oh my God, hey!" Chloe yelled as she ran over to the late guest. As she embraced with, who he realized was a smaller woman, she finally stepped out of the light and Clark felt his world turn upside down.

Lana Lang had returned.

At first, all he could concentrate on was her. Her raven hair was loosely curled around her face and she had gotten bangs. Her petite frame was dressed in a silver and Clark could see a new amount of definition in her arms. Whatever she had been doing lately, it definitely suited her. Her smile was still as bright as ever, along with the laugh he heard as she talked to Chloe. She looked absolutely stunning. It was only when her eyes connected with his that he noticed something else.

The feeling of his heart being squeezed was no longer there. At least, not when he was looking at her. Instead, that familiar feeling began to take effect as his peripheral caught sight of an orange blur moving away from him. Turning his head to the side, he saw Lois's backside quickly retreating towards the house. That moment, though it was only mere seconds, felt like an eternity to him as he tried to figure out what to do. Did he go talk to Lana or go after Lois?

Lana had returned and that had to mean _something _to him. He just wasn't quite sure what it was. But Lois… she was leaving. Now. She was giving up just as soon as things were about to begin and he wasn't sure if things would ever be the same if he let her go now. Finally deciding on what to do, he looked at Lana once more to be sure she wasn't coming to talk to him and took off after Lois. She had just reached the door to the barn when he reached out and grabbed her hand. She spun around at the contact, startled, and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"Do you trust me?" Clark blurted out. Lois looked at him with wide, confused eyes and snapped her mouth shut.

"Yes," she replied softly. He could tell what she was thinking. There was pain in her eyes that hadn't been there before Lana had arrived and he needed to make sure that she understood exactly where he stood before things could progress.

"Meet me on my front porch in twenty minutes? I have to take care of something first," Clark said evenly. She nodded once and bit her lip. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how he felt right now, but it wouldn't be right. Clark had to set things straight with Lana before he could even think about starting a romantic relationship with Lois. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Thank you."

* * *

Lois drummed her fingers against the white painted railing on the porch and sighed. Clark Kent was going to be the death of her.

She tried not to think about it, but her mind kept formulating images of Clark and Lana together. She could picture them together up in the loft, happily catching up and getting back together. She even imagined what he was going to say to her when he got here. _Hey, Lois. Sorry about that almost-kiss. Lana's back now though, so we're going to pick up where we left off and go live happily ever after!_

Rolling her eyes, she glanced towards the barn. The festivities were still in full swing and when she heard her cousin's laugh float through the air, she couldn't help but smile a little bit. At least her night was going just the way she had planned.

"Something funny?" a voice asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. She turned around to see Clark standing behind her holding two glasses of champagne. He wordlessly held out a glass to her and she accepted it gratefully. He knew her well. Bring her some alcohol to soften the blow. _Nice touch, Smallville._

"No, I was just listening to how happy Chloe sounds and it made me smile," she said after clearing her throat. Clark smiled at that and walked to stand next to her at the railing.

"I know what you mean. Seeing them dance together earlier really made me realize how happy she is. I guess he's really the one for her, huh?" he asked. Lois sipped her champagne and nodded. They stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments more, simply content with watching people drunkenly stumble out of the barn and listening to the music and laughter going on inside.

"Tonight, I finally understood what you meant," Clark said. She turned to face him with a furrowed brow.

"About what?"

"About knowing when the right girl walks into your life."

And there it was. Lois took in a sharp breath and tried not to concentrate on the pain of the imaginary knife being twisted through her heart. She took a shaky sip of her champagne and mentally prepared herself for the conversation she was about to partake in. Knowing she was going to have to stand there and listen to Clark talk about the love of his life's return, she plastered a smile on her face and looked up at him.

"She does look beautiful tonight, doesn't she?" Lois offered. Clark's eyes twinkled at that comment and he stared wistfully at her.

"Yes. She sure does," he replied. When he didn't continue speaking, Lois took another sip of her champagne and stared at her feet.

"So did you two get together?" she asked. Clark frowned and shook his head.

"Not exactly. We were about to, but there was an interruption. So I asked her to meet me later. I needed to think about some things before I could really be with her," he said as he gazed out over the farm. Feeling the tears begin to prick at her eyes, she fixed her gaze on the horizon. There wasn't a chance in hell that she would allow Clark to see her cry over _him_.

"What's there to think about? You love her, don't you?" Lois asked bitterly. She knew that she should try to seem more supportive, but her mouth was betraying her mind. She couldn't help it. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to continue this conversation without giving herself away, she downed the rest of her glass and stared at him.

"Well-"

"Listen, Clark. I've had to hear you go on and on for _years _about this woman. _Everyone_ has. Obviously, she means something to you, she always has. If you're going to let whatever it was that kept you two apart earlier get in the way of what could be, you're not the Clark Kent I know. So you better get your lumberjack ass back in that barn and let her know how you feel."

Clark was silent for a moment. She could feel his eyes searching hers for something, though she couldn't say exactly what. All she knew was that if he kept looking at her like this, she was going to crumble into a million pieces.

"There's just one problem with that plan."

"And what's that?"

"She's not in the barn."

Lois rolled her eyes and placed her empty glass on the railing a little harder than intended. She glared at Clark, who seemed to have an amused expression on his face, before throwing her hands up in the air and groaning.

"Well, wherever she is! Jesus! Take it with context, Smallville. I can't keep track of-"

Lois's words were cut short by a pair of lips pressed firmly to her own. Eyes wide open, she saw that none other than Clark Kent was the owner of those lips. His left hand held the small of her back while his right hand gently caressed her face. Completely forgetting the conversation that they were in the middle of, Lois began to respond to the kiss. _Oh, God this was actually happening!_ He tasted of mint and something so purely Clark that she couldn't describe it. All she knew was that she was addicted now with zero chance of recovery.

He kissed her slowly after that. Twice, moving his mouth to cover hers, each time causing her to slowly melt more and more into his arms. It was absolute bliss. The kiss came to a slow, natural conclusion and eventually Clark pulled away from her. She missed the contact the second his lips left hers. When she opened her eyes, she found his baby blues beaming directly at her. His hands slowly left her body and fell to his sides, leaving Lois standing there totally and utterly confused. And angry. Oh, was she angry.

"What… why did you… what the _hell_, Clark?" Lois finally sputtered out. _What in the world just happened? _His eyebrows drew together in confusion as she yelled at him and he opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly.

"I thought that-"

"You thought that it would be a good idea to _kiss _me after talking about getting back together with _Lana_?" she yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. She watched as his expression changed from one of confusion to one of amusement, something that only infuriated her more.

"Lois, I'm not getting back together with Lana," he said. Out of all things, a laugh bubbled up in the back of her throat and escaped her in the form of a loud snort.

"Then what the hell were you just blabbering to me about before you attacked me?"

"_Attacked_? Are you kidding- Lois… I was talking about was _you_!"

Dumbstruck, she just stood there. Her? He had been talking about _her_? There was no way. She was Lois Lane. Royal pain in his ass, utterly annoying cousin of his best friend, steal-all-of-his-hot-water, Lois Lane. And besides, the look in his eyes when Lana walked in the room was still burned in her memory. He had that same lovesick puppy dog expression on his face that always popped up when she was around. She wasn't stupid and she'd be damned if Clark was going to let her get caught up in whatever the hell this game was.

"_Right_. That's why as soon as Lana walked into the barn, you basically dropped me like a dead fish," she said with a scowl. As annoyed as she was, the feeling of his lips was still burning on her own. She blushed at the thought, but stood her ground.

"Look, I was just surprised, alright? I wasn't expecting her to show up," he said. Rolling her eyes, she retreated to the railing behind her and leaned back.

"I saw the look on your face, Smallville. And it's fine, I get it. Absolutely thrilled for you two to pick off where you left off and continue the Clark and Lana love story. Just leave me out of it, okay?"

"No, not okay! Were you listening to _anything_ I just said?" he asked.

"Oh, I was listening, but I'm just telling you what I saw. You're still wrapped up in Lana-land, so again, leave me out of it," she said. Turning before he could respond, she walked off the porch and into the house. Making a beeline for the stairs, she prayed that he would let it go, but was not surprised when she heard the door slam behind her.

"If I'm _so _wrapped up in 'Lana-land', what am I doing in here talking to you?" he yelled from behind her. Spinning around, she dug her fingers into the banister and glared at him.

"I don't know, adding even more drama to your endless love saga? Giving you something else to brood about in your barn? Just leave me alone, Clark." She tried to turn and walk up the stairs, but was pulled back by his hand on her arm.

"You didn't want me to leave you alone when we were on the dance floor. Why the sudden change, Lois?" he asked with a smug smile. She couldn't decide between smacking the smirk off of him or kissing those annoyingly tempting lips again, so she deflected.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. We were about to—"

"It doesn't matter, it didn't happen!" she yelled. She ripped her arm out of his grasp and shoved a finger in front of his face. "As soon as she walked in the room, it was like I didn't exist, just like anyone else around you when she's near!"

She saw him pinch his nose and heard a low growl emit from his mouth. _God, that was hot!_ The fire in his eyes when he glared at her only made her want him more. _Damn it, Lane, focus!_

"God, Lois, I'm _sorry_, okay? I'm sorry my ex-girlfriend, who broke up with me by leaving a damn video tape behind, unexpectedly showed up at the _last_ place I'd expect to see her and momentarily distracted me! I was surprised, alright? And I'm sorry you took that as a rejection, but stop acting like I'm still in love with her, because I'm not!"

Never in a million years did she think she'd ever hear those words leave his mouth. The look on his face after he registered what he had said made her think that he never thought he'd say them, either. Clearing his throat, he took a step back from their close proximity and shoved his hands in his pants, waiting for her to answer. But for once in her life, she didn't have anything to say. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I won't lie to you. When I saw her at first, I was shocked. I looked at her and expected to have all of those feelings come rushing back, but they didn't. I didn't feel anything until I saw you walking away. And that's what I told her."

"You told her that?" she managed. Using the handrail to support her suddenly shaking legs, she stepped down to the floor, unwillingly to trust herself to keep her balance on the stairs. He nodded and took a hesitant step towards her.

"That's where I went after I asked you to meet me here. I needed to tell her the nothing could happen between us. Not anymore," he said.

She wanted him to be lying. Everything would be so much easier if he was lying. But damn those eyes, she could read them like a book. Everything he was saying and had said to her earlier was nothing but the truth. As he took another step forward though, their conversation on the porch replayed in her head. He knew. He _knew _what she had been thinking. He knew that she thought he was talking about Lana and then waited until she was at her most vulnerable point to make his move. Crossing her arms, she frowned at him causing him to stop his advancement.

"You knew what you were doing to me on the porch. Why?" she asked. "Were you trying to upset me? Make me cry, even? Cause let me tell you, buddy, you are the _last_ person that I would be caught crying over."

"Can you stop denying your feelings for me for once?" he asked.

"I don't know what you think I-"

"Lois, just stop!" he yelled. "I'm trying here, okay? The only reason I said what I said was to try and see if you felt anything for me. And given your reaction then, and now, I'm pretty sure I hit the nail on the head. But stop acting like there's nothing between us! You wouldn't have kissed me back if there wasn't."

"You caught me off guard, that's all," she said weakly. His temper, and the added fact that he was right on all accounts, was throwing her off her game. As he took another step towards her, she let go of the railing and tried to step back, but was thwarted when the back of her heel hit the staircase. Wobbling and bracing herself for the feeling of the hardwood beneath her, she was surprised when she found herself in Clark's arms for the third time this evening. The feeling of his strong arms beneath her combined with his intoxicating scent invading her personal space was making it hard for her to think straight.

"I don't think so," he said as he raised her to her feet. Refusing to meet his eyes, she placed her hands on his chest meaning to push herself out of his embrace. When his grip around her waist did not lessen, her eyes flickered up to his. She tried to glare at him, she really did, but the blazing look in his eyes turned her body to mush. She ached to further explore the strong chest beneath her fingertips and found herself sliding her hands further up towards his pectoral region rather than away from him.

"Please let me go," she whispered. With a slight shake of his head at her protest, he brought one of his hands up to her cheek as the other gently pulled her in.

"I don't think so."

As his head dipped towards hers, her eyelids fluttered shut as she waited for his lips to touch hers again. When they finally did, she gave in completely. At the lightest touch, she leaned fully into his embrace, even tugging on the edges of his suit jacket to get herself closer to him. With his arm wrapped securely around her lower back and the feeling of his solid chest beneath her hands, she was positive she had never felt safer in her entire life. She had never felt more at _home_. Sliding her hands around his neck, she parted her lips and lost herself in him. His tongue traced her bottom lip before exploring her eager mouth. A low moan escaped her and she almost pulled away from embarrassment at the noise she didn't know she could even make, but Clark's hold on her made it impossible.

Lois felt him guide them backwards until her back hit the wall with a resounding thud. She probably would've chastised him in any other situation, but she was too lost in their kisses to care. Everything about this felt too right, despite what her stubborn head might be telling her. The way he kissed her—_God, where did he learn to kiss like that?_ —the way their bodies fit together, the way his scent enveloped her… everything was just right. As much as she hated to admit it, this was exactly where she wanted to be for as long as possible.

Of course, it was with that thought that all hell broke loose.

As a deafening roar erupted from outside, Clark ripped away from her. He rushed out to the porch quicker than Lois thought humanly possible, but she was hot on his tail. Screams and loud crashes sounded from inside the barn as guests fled from the doors. Confused and terrified, Lois could only think of one person: _Chloe_. She took a step towards the stairs, but Clark's stiff arm blocked her path. Whipping her head up, she saw a steeled expression on his face.

"Stay here."

"Are you kidding me, Smallville?! Do you not hear that thing? We have to get Chloe out!" she yelled as she tried to move past him again. He moved her away from the stairs in a manner that briefly gave her déjà vu to the first time they had met and he picked her up at the hospital. With his hands gripping her waist tightly, he leaned down so he could make direct eye contact with her.

"Lois, I'll get everyone out. Just stay here. _Please_," he said. As she opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off with a hard, but brief kiss. "I promise I'll come back. Just stay here. I can't lose you."

And with that, she watched Clark Kent sprint into whatever hell awaited him.


	2. Intermission

Where were they?

Lois looked down at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. No new messages, no missed calls, no voicemails. Nothing. She glanced down the hallway towards the elevators in hopes that they would open, but they stayed shut. Looking the other way, she saw that the door to Jimmy's door was still closed, meaning that the doctor had not come up and could not update her.

She hated not knowing. It was the one thing she couldn't deal with. Injury, death, kidnapping, natural disasters, meteor freaks—all of that and more were pieces of cake, but the fear of not knowing was unbearable. She didn't know how Jimmy was doing, where Chloe was, or if Clark was even alive. The last she'd seen him, he'd been sprinting towards the barn after telling her to stay in the house.

"_I promise I'll come back. Just stay here. I can't lose you."_

Those were the last words he said to her. She remembered deliberately disobeying his instructions not long after Clark had left her standing there, but she must have tripped or been thrown off her feet by the vibrations because next thing she knew, she was waking up on her back with a nasty gash on her head. Oliver had driven her and several other guests to the hospital not long after that. Lois had refused a doctor and argued with the staff for a good twenty minutes before reluctantly accepting a disinfectant wipe and a bandage.

The sound of a door shutting caused her head to whip up, but she was disappointed when she saw a doctor walking out of the room next to Jimmy's. Groaning, her head fell back into her hands. How the hell had this happened? How had what was supposed to be the happiest day of her cousin's life turn into the absolute worst? Though she didn't want to think about it, Lois realized there was a very real possibility that Chloe might lose her husband on her wedding day. Lois couldn't bear to think of Chloe as a widow this young. Lois didn't want to think about another funeral. After losing her mother, Wes, and Mr. Kent, she wasn't sure if her heart could take another loss.

"Miss Lane?"

Lois shot to her feet so quickly that it caused a rush a blood to hit her head. Wincing, she placed a tender hand to her head and looked at the doctor, who was wearing a very reprimanding look on his face.

"I really wish you would get looked at, Miss Lane," he said. She waved her hand in his face and huffed.

"I told you, I'm fine. Now, how's Jimmy?" she asked. The doctor sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose, a sign that Lois took not very positively.

"He's stable and sleeping right now, but Mr. Olsen is in an extremely bad shape, I won't lie to you. He's sustained severe head and lung trauma, his right arm and left leg are both broken, he has fractures in his ribs, and a fair amount of internal bruising. We're doing all that we can for him, but he's going to need to be transferred to Star City in order to have any chance at making it through this. We'll have the top surgeon in the state waiting for him."

Lois took a moment to process the information. Stable, but extremely hurt. The fact that he was being transferred wasn't a good sign, but at least Oliver could get him the top doctors there. Where the hell was he, anyhow? He was supposed to be back after stopping back by the farm.

"When is he going to be transferred?" she asked. The doctor looked down and flipped through his chart.

"It's looking like it won't be until tomorrow morning. There's a lot of—"

"He's leaving tonight on a private transfer. Oliver Queen will make sure of it as soon as I get a hold of him," she said. "Start getting him ready to go."

"Miss Lane, I'm not at liberty—"

"I promise you, Doc, he _is _leaving tonight, one way or another, and if he's not on a stretcher out the door by the time I get the call to confirm, I will tear this hospital, and its incompetent staff, _apart_ in the next edition of the Daily Planet. Got it, buddy?"

It was a strangely cathartic feeling, seeing fear in the eyes of an authoritative male who could easily be your father, but one that Lois was used to. After watching the doctor scurry off, Lois tried calling Oliver again. Thankfully, he picked up this time. After explaining the situation to him, Oliver promised he'd handle Jimmy's transportation and medical situation in Star City. However, he was strangely short on the phone and she didn't have any time to ask about Chloe or Clark before he hung up. Resigning herself to playing the waiting game, Lois slumped down in her chair and closed her eyes.

Nothing felt real. Everything that happened today felt like a dream, or rather, a nightmare. What was that creature? Why did it target Chloe's wedding? Something just didn't add up. Why was it always her loved ones that were being targeted? It seemed like lately, trouble had been following her around like a shadow. In the back of her head, she heard a ding in the distance, but nothing really registered until she heard her name.

"Lois?"

Opening her eyes, she saw Clark walking down the hallway towards her. The weight in her chest dropped at the initial sight of him, but a new sense of panic overtook her when she saw the blood on his shirt. Leaping to her feet, she made her way quickly towards him.

"Clark! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked while running her hands over him. His body was solid and warm beneath her hands, a slight assurance that despite his injuries, at least he was alive and well. Every time her fingers met his skin through various rips and tears in his white dress shirt, she felt a jolt of electricity. But her concern for his safety made her push those feelings to the side for the time being. Though she found lots of blood, she could not find any sources.

"It's not my blood, I'm okay, Lois," he said. It must not have registered with her though because next thing she knew, Clark was forcing her hands to stop and calling her name. His blue eyes caught hers and she halted her inspection of him immediately. "Are you okay? What happened to your head?"

"I fell, no big deal," she said. He frowned and lightly touched her hairline, causing her to shiver. She prayed he didn't notice.

"Oliver said he found you passed out," he said. "That's not 'no big deal.'"

"It's nothing, Clark. Nothing like Jimmy." That got Clark's attention. She felt his hand grip her wrist in reaction to her statement and took a sharp breath in.

"How bad is he?"

"It's not good, Clark. The doctor said he's stable, but he has multiple, severe injuries and that they don't have the resources here, so they're sending him to Star City," she explained. "I just got off the phone with Ollie and he's going to have him privately transferred there in the next hour."

"That's good," he said thickly. She watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed nervously and knew it only meant one thing. Sliding her wrist out of his grip and replacing it with her fingers, she closed her eyes and asked the question she had been dreading to know the answer to.

"Is she alive?"

"I… I don't know. I couldn't find her, Lois."

The tears came quicker than she thought they would, but she felt Clark's arms around her before she could let them go. She buried her head in his shoulder and let a few tears roll out onto the fabric of his shirt. Large hands rubbed circles on her back and she relished the feeling of his body against hers, even if it was in poor circumstances.

"I'm gonna find her, Lo. I promise, I'm going to bring her back to you. To Jimmy," he whispered. She clutched him tighter, truly believing that he would, because that's just the type of person that Clark Kent was. If anyone could bring her home, it was him. Feeling her legs begin to shake, Lois released him from her embrace and stepped back a bit.

"I'm going with Jimmy," she told him. "Someone needs to be there for him when he wakes up."

"I agree, but… go in the morning Lois," he said. A response already forming on her lips, Clark plowed ahead. "I agree someone should be there, but you need to get checked out and sleep first. He won't be awake for at least another day from what you've told me, anyhow. I know Oliver said he was heading to Star City anyhow, so he can be there tonight for anything urgent and he can have a jet ready for you in the morning."

"Clark, I don't—"

"Please, Lois. Please stay tonight. For me," he said. The concern in both his baby blues and tone of voice both warmed her heart and crushed her willpower. With a slight nod, she silently agreed to his request. However, she immediately hunted down the nurse in charge of Jimmy's charts and memorized every detail she possibly could about his condition until Clark forcibly removed her from the hospital.

Once in the car, she asked him if they could stop by the Talon to pick up an overnight bag before heading to the farm. He had asked if she wanted to sleep at home, but she insisted on checking out the wreckage of the barn for any clues. Secretly, she also wanted to spend some more time with him. All of her feelings concerning Clark were wildly new and confusing to her, and combined with his reciprocity before the madness of tonight, she didn't know what she was feeling. The only thing she knew for sure was that she didn't want to let him out of her sight.

As they turned into his driveway, Clark's headlights caught some of the destruction. Red and brown pieces of wood were strewn across the property, tablecloths and wedding décor littered the yard, and general piles of debris were scattered about. Her throat caught a little looking at the destruction and she touched Clark's hand.

"I'm sorry, Clark. I know there are a lot of memories there for you…" she trailed, immediately thinking of the bright, smiling face of Jonathan Kent. Clark shrugged, but kept his eyes forward. Pulling up next to the house, he finally parked and cut the engine.

"It's just a barn. It's people that you can't replace, not places."

"I don't know… Smallville's pretty hard to replace."

Clark looked at her tenderly and smiled. She smiled back, fully aware of how his warm fingers were shooting jolts of lightning through her body and without realizing it, inched herself towards him. Squeezing her hand gently, he started to lean forward across the middle console. The butterflies in her stomach immediately came to life as she found herself being pulled towards him like a magnet. Seeing him pause midway, still unsure of whether to proceed, Lois slowly closed the distance until—

"Clark? Is that you?"

The two reporters jumped apart at the interruption and Lois knocked her already-injured head against the glass.

"Ouch! God, motherfu—"

"Lois! Are you okay?" Clark immediately asked. She felt his hand touch the side of her head, but she swatted it away in frustration.

"No, I'm not fine, Smallville! Jesus, who the hell—"

The question died on her lips. Standing on the front steps in an oversized Smallville High School Football t-shirt with a dish rag in her hands was none other than Lana Lang—an absolute vision of the stay-at-home farmer's wife. Of course, she was here. Why wouldn't she be here? Plastering a smile on her face, she turned away from Clark and climbed out of the door before he could say a word.

"Lana! So glad to see you're doing okay. Looks like you're healthy as ever! Me, I really need to take a shower, so I'm just gonna run upstairs and do that. Clark, you can just leave my bag in your room—I mean, your mom's room! You know what? I don't care. Leave it wherever! Okay, bye!"

Though her pounding head was starting to make navigation an issue, Lois made it up the stairs and into the bathroom before she heard the kitchen door open. After locking the door and starting the water, she immediately sat down and removed her heels. Her feet were aching so badly that she thought about crawling into the bathtub, but her desire to want to scrub her body of tonight's events was more powerful.

Slipping into the tub, she initially grimaced at the pressure of the hot water on her body, but soon relaxed into its calming effect on her aching muscles. Simply standing in the spray, Lois let the water and steam revive her body. Unfortunately, it did nothing to alleviate the pounding in her head.

Of course Lana was here. Why had she been so surprised? She had seen the look she and Clark shared tonight, regardless of what he said. Maybe he had feelings for both of them and was confused. Either way, she was sure as hell going straight to bed after this shower and leaving as soon as possible in the morning. She was already physically injured and worried enough about Chloe and Jimmy, so she really wasn't sure she would be able to put up with watching the Clark and Lana reunion take place.

* * *

It took her over two hours, but it was worth every bit of it. The shower had at least made her feel like a living, breathing human again instead of a ragdoll, even if her head was still hurting. After brushing her hair out, Lois finally realized she didn't have any clothes. In her rush to avoid Lana, she had completely forgotten about them. She didn't want to walk out in her towel, but it wasn't exactly like she could put her dress back on.

She pressed her ear to the door and listened for sounds, but couldn't hear anything. Hopefully they were downstairs, too busy wrapped up in each other to realize she was out of the shower. Slowly opening the door, she poked her head out of the door and listened again for sounds, but all was quiet in the house. Maybe they were outside? Taking advantage of the opportunity, she walked quickly to Clark's room, turned and shut the door with a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing?"

Lois yelped in surprise and turned to find Clark standing beside his bed, folding laundry. Clutching her towel to her chest, Lois glared at him.

"Jesus, Smallville! Way to give a girl a heart attack! Make another noise besides breathing, okay?" she said.

"I'll be sure to announce myself before you lock yourself in my bedroom next time," he replied. Heat radiated off her cheeks and turned a bright shade of pink after he started grinning. As he picked up an article of clothing, he held it out to her. "If it helps, I threw your pajamas in the dryer with my laundry. I know you like to wear them when they're warm."

And just like that, the butterflies started again. Reaching out, she found he had given her one of his flannel shirts instead of her pajama top. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he answered with a shrug.

"I also know you like wearing my flannels."

"I do not!" she argued, feeling her cheeks now reach a shade of red. If he kept this up, she was going to turn purple!

"So you want your pajama top instead?" he challenged. Her mouth opened immediately, but she didn't respond right away. When she didn't move, Clark threw the flannel towards the opposite end of the bed where a pair of Smallville High School sweatpants were laid out. She looked up at him to see if he was watching her, but he kept his eyes on the laundry. Lois debated waiting for him to find her pajamas for pride-sake, but in the end, she gave in. Snatching the clothes up off the bed, she ordered him to turn around so that she could change. Taking advantage of their lack of eye contact, she asked the question.

"Where's Lana sleeping tonight?"

"The Talon."

Lois paused. That was not the answer she had been expecting.

"Oh? She's not staying here?" she asked as innocently as possible. If Clark noticed her tone, which she strongly suspected he did, he didn't act like it. And she loved him all the more for it.

"No, she was just keeping an eye on the house for any more police or reporters while I wasn't here," he explained. "She left a while ago."

"Oh," she said. When she realized that she was dressed and had been staring at his back for the past few minutes, she cleared her throat. "Sorry, you can turn around now."

Wearing only an old flannel and a pair of baggy sweatpants, Lois felt like she was dressed for a night out on the town with the way Clark was looking at her. His eyes unabashedly traveled up and down her body before settling on her face and snapping out of his stupor.

"Seems like I'm not the only one who likes it when I wear your clothes," she teased. As he folded his last shirt, he met her gaze and grinned. He placed a stack of laundry on his dresser before grabbing a shirt and pair of shorts from the top of the pile. He walked to the door, but turned before he walked out.

"I won't argue with you on that one," he said. He had a smoldering look in his eyes, but she wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

"Well, now, that would be a first, wouldn't it? Us not arguing?" she asked. Clark chuckled and looked down at the ground before meeting her with another heated gaze.

"There's a first time for everything, Lois." _That,_ she had no comeback to. It had too many implications that Lois didn't think Clark would _ever_ be brave enough to bring up, but then again, he had surprised her quite a few times this evening. When she didn't answer, he took it upon himself to save her. "I'm taking a quick shower. You can have _your_ room back for tonight, if you want."

The door closed with a soft click and Lois let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she had been holding in. What the hell had gotten into him that was making him so forward? It wasn't that she minded this Clark, but she didn't know how to act around him. He was catching her off-guard and hoped that it was only due to the craziness of today that was throwing her off her game.

She hung her towel up on the hook on the back of his door and proceeded to crawl underneath his covers. Burying her nose into the pillows, she took a deep breath of the pure scent that was Clark Kent. A wave of calm crashed over her as she inhaled and she reveled in it. Calm and relaxation were two things that she desperately needed, and Clark Kent was fully providing without even being present. She wasn't sure how long she laid snuggled up in the covers, but eventually, a light knocking roused her from her dreamy state.

"Lois?" Clark asked softly. She turned over and looked to see his head poking through the cracked door. "I, uh, just wanted to see if you needed anything before you went to sleep."

"Thanks, Smallville," she said. "I think I'm all good though."

"Oh, okay. Well, good," he said somewhat disappointedly, she thought. When his gaze flickered down to his feet, she confirmed it. "Goodnight then, Lois."

"Goodnight, Smallville," she said. He gave her a small smile and lingered in the door way for a moment before turning to close the door, but suddenly, she couldn't help it. "Clark?"

"Yeah?" he asked, stepping halfway into the room. His hair was still damp, his white t-shirt clung to his chest in all the right ways, and it was affecting Lois in a very strong way. Swallowing, she shifted her body so that she was sitting up against the headboard.

"Do you want to talk for a little bit?" she asked. His eyes widened briefly and she instantly thought that she had crossed a line, so she backtracked. "Unless you're tired. Which you probably are. We can talk tomorrow, too."

"No, no, I'm not—I'd love to talk, Lois," he said genuinely. For no other reason, a brilliant smile bloomed on Lois's face and she bounced to the right side of his bed to make room for him. She watched him shut the door and go to turn off the lights, but he stilled just before. Looking over to her for permission, Lois simply turned on the lamp on his nightstand before patting the spot next to her. When the lights turned off, Lois felt the butterflies return to her stomach. The low light made him look even more beautiful than she thought possible and she was suddenly nervous about their current environment.

However, when Clark sat down, he put his legs over the covers, while hers were still tucked underneath, which eased her tensions a bit. After adjusting the pillow behind his back, he turned towards her.

"How's your head?" he asked right off the bat.

"It hurt earlier, but I've been feeling a lot better since I got out of the shower," she said. He chuckled at her statement and she raised an eyebrow.

"It better. I think two and half hours is a new record," he teased.

"Keep that up and I'll make it three," she threatened. He feigned surrender and put his hands up before dropping them to the bed. His left hand landed on her right leg and though it was covered by his sheets, she still sucked in a breath. Clark must have realized it too because just as soon as it landed there, it was gone again. Clearing his throat, he fidgeted a bit and moved his arms to his sides. When neither said anything, she felt his gaze on her. Turning to meet his eyes, she found that he looked just as nervous as she felt.

"Lois?" he asked huskily. She felt the mattress dip as he shifted his body more towards hers so that their hips were just touching. His shoulder brushed up against hers and she shivered at the contact.

"Hmm?" she managed to reply. God, he was reducing her to non-verbals now? Gentle fingers turned her chin towards him and she met those cerulean eyes once more. They flickered down to her lips, then back to her eyes and she heard him suck in a breath.

"Can I—I'd really like to kiss you again," he whispered. Even if she wanted to respond, she wasn't sure she could. Instead, she nodded and leaned forward just barely. He moved forward nervously, almost as if it was his first kiss, though she knew that from personal experience to be quite untrue. However, it was like a first kiss in some ways. When she finally felt his lips brush her own, softer and more tender than before, she felt her heart leap to her throat. Earlier, when he had kissed her, she had been taken by surprise first and later by the heat of the moment. But this… this was something different.

One of his large hands cupped her face while the other tangled itself in her auburn locks. Soon, the soft, gentle kisses turned a bit more passionate. She felt Clark's hand travel to her lower back and press her body closer to him, which she did not fight. Sliding her hands up his toned chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his eagerly. She soon felt his tongue slide against her bottom lip and immediately granted him access to her mouth. As soon as his tongue touched hers, it was as if something went off in Clark. He pulled Lois on top of his lap and quieted the surprised yelp on her lips with his own.

Though she was a bit taken aback by his eagerness, she was not at all upset by it. In fact, the new position allowed her to press her whole torso against his own and when she did, it felt as though she finally knew what breathing was like. The feeling of his hard chest pressed up against her breasts was exhilarating, so much so that she let out a moan into his mouth. He broke the kiss after that, which annoyed her for all of two seconds until she felt his lips attached to her neck. Dear God, he felt good! He trailed kisses down the right side of her neck to her collar bone, then across to the other side. When his lips met hers again, Lois attacked his mouth.

Clark shifted beneath her so that he could sit straighter against the headboard, but his movement caused her hips to slide directly on top of his, allowing Lois to feel his very obvious arousal. Taken off guard by the feeling of him pressed against her in the most intimate area, Lois gasped and broke the kiss. Both of them froze, not moving a muscle, but breathing incredibly hard.

"I thought… we were talking," she whispered. A breathy chuckle escaped Clark and he leaned his forehead against her own.

"Sorry. You're kind of distracting in my clothes," he said. A pair of stupid grins formed on the pair's faces and Lois laughed.

"And whose fault is that?" she teased. Her hands began to play with the hairs at the bottom of his head as she felt his own wandering along the planes of her back.

"You won't get me to apologize for that one, Lane," he said. Another chuckle escaped her, but this one was followed by a large yawn. When she opened her eyes again, Clark was looking at her with a very tender expression. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"That's the understatement of the year," she said. Lois climbed off his lap unceremoniously and dropped back down to her original spot. She shimmied her way under the covers once more and plopped her head down on the pillow. Turning to look at Clark, she found he was still in the same position, watching her with a curious expression.

"What?" she asked. He smiled and shook his head in response before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up.

"Nothing, Lois. Goodnight," he said. She couldn't help but feel disappointed as she watched him walk away, but immediately brightened when he walked over to her side of the bed to kiss her forehead. When he stood up, she raised her eyebrow.

"That all you got, Kent?" she teased. Leaning down close to her, he pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips in response.

"If I do any more than that, I won't leave," he murmured. "Goodnight, Lois. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Smallville," she said. With that, she settled down and watched him disappear behind the door before shutting her eyes.


End file.
